AC Milan Champions League winner Dejan Savicevic has slammed the sacking of Paolo Maldini.

The technical director was dumped by new owner Gerry Cardinale on Monday.

Savicevic said of his former teammate: “I did not expect Maldini's departure.

“Milan won the Scudetto last season when nobody expected that. I don't know what happened since then.

“In the United States, they experience sport in a different way to us. Americans don't understand football, they don't realise it's not like the NBA."